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Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Lundqvist says it’s a team sport but goalie is key reason Rangers moving on to conference final

All successful playoff teams get goaltending that ranges from above average to spectacular. Henrik Lundqvist was certainly the latter as the Rangers completed a remarkable comeback with a 2-1 win over the Penguins in Game 7 of the Metropolitan Division final at Consol Energy Center. It marked the first time in 17 tries the Rangers had ever rallied from a 3-1 playoff series deficit.

Henrik Lundqvist made 35 saves to establish a new NHL record with his fifth consecutive victory in a Game 7. Lundqvist is now 5-1 with a 1.00 goals-against average and a 965 save percentage in Game 7s. Over his last five, he’s 5-0 with a 0.80 goals-against and .973 save percentage. He’s also 10-2 with a 1.32 goals-against and .957 save percentage in elimination games since the first round of 2012.

Tuesday night was also Lundqvist’s 80th straight playoff start. Only Martin Brodeur (194 with the Devils) and Patrick Roy (133 with the Avalanche) have had longer streaks.

“He’s OK,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “I really thought for the first two periods we had played a real strong game. Even though they had more shots, the chances were even and we had been able to capitalize on two of them. Where they took their game to another level in the third period, our goaltender, obviously, took his game to another level and was just able to stop a barrage of opportunities and he was the difference in tonight’s game.”

“I get a lot of questions about it and it’s always surprising to me because it is a team game,” Lundqvist said. “Obviously, I need to do my part, but as a team we’ve been accepting the challenge of playing big games and that’s where it starts. I feel like there’s sometimes a little too much focus on the goalie record. It’s a team record, but I feel like when they give me a chance to do my thing and vice versa we’re in good business. We do it together out there and that’s been the case the last three games. It’s been a lot of fun to be out there.”

The Rangers, going to the Eastern Conference final for the second time in three seasons, won’t know their next opponent until the Bruins host the Canadiens Wednesday night in Game 7 of the Atlantic Division final. There’s a good chance the next series won’t start until Saturday so this is a chance for the Rangers to get some rest after their hectic first- and second-round schedule.

“It’s tough, you go through a lot of ups and downs,” said Brad Richards, who scored the power-play winner in the second period on Marty St. Louis’ beautiful backhand feed - the Rangers rallying around the grieving St. Louis after his mother died on Thursday between the 4-2 Game 4 loss and the 5-1 Game 5 victory being an overriding theme in this series. “The last six days was not the easiest time to sleep and the feeling you have in the stomach all the time you’re constantly thinking and it’s hard to relax and that’s the same as in the games, even tonight. Get in third period just want the clock to go or maybe get a third goal to get a little breathing room. It’s stressful I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. This is what we love to do.”
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Richards described the pass St. Louis sent to him for the winner as the perfect setup.

“It was unbelievable,” Richards said. “Coming down the slot, flat on the tape, you dream of those at any time, let alone Game 7.”

It definitely was a game of surges after a sluggish start by both teams.

The Penguins grabbed momentum and dominated play the last three-fourths of the first period and the start of the second after Brian Boyle gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 5:25 of the first period and until Jussi Jokinen tied it at 4:15 of the second period.

“For me, every time you play in these games, that first goal is massive,” Marc Staal said. “We’re a better team with the lead, obviously, and it’s a big goal in the game.”

The team that scored first won all seven games in this series.

The Rangers took back momentum after Jokinen’s goal, resulting in Richards’ goal at 7:56 after Niskanen tripped Derick Brassard at 6:45.

“I think up 2-1 going into the third, we’ve got Lundqvist back there, we know how we can play defensively,” Staal said. “We had a lot of confidence.”

If there was one sequence that defined Lundqvist’s performance, it was a late third-period scramble in which he had his stick knocked away and still managed to make multiple saves, finally grabbing the puck after it deflected up off an abandoned non-goalie’s stick in the crease.

“They were coming hard,” Lundqvist said. “I tried just to not think about the result, not think about the consequences, just see it as a challenge for me to just stay in there and focus on the right thing. But it was hard because you know it’s getting closer and closer. You need some bounces for sure and we earned them tonight by working so hard.
“I was so tired in the end, but it was just a great feeling when you know it’s a done deal and we did it,” Lundqvist added. “We came back from a 3-1 (deficit). I think what we did really well (was) we stayed in the moment. We took it period by period and that helped us get back into this.

“That was chaos,” Lundqvist said of the lost-stick play. “But I tried to stay patient and wait for the pucks. I almost started laughing when the last shot came on the ice, it hit the stick on the ice and went up and almost went in. It was bad luck, but at the same time I had some luck, I managed to save it. So, it was just one of those moments where there were people everywhere and the puck was all over the place, but you tried just to be in the way and I did my part and the guys in front of me did theirs, so it worked out fine.”

Over the final three games of the series, obviously all victories for the Rangers, Lundqvist allowed just three goals.

The Rangers also held Sidney Crosby to one goal and two assists in the series.

Obviously, the team’s defensive effort in front of Lundqvist played a large part as well.

The Rangers blocked 16 shots in Game 7, including four by Brian Boyle who once again is proving to be a big-time playoff performer.

“I think we made adjustments when we were down 3-1,” Brassard.. We started moving our feet and we started playing more in the offensive zone. When you play there, you don’t need to defend and I think that’s something that we did really well and we’re going to continue to do the same in the third round, manage the puck the right way. All of our defense defensively played really strong. They were really hard to play against and it’s a total team effort here. We just battled and worked hard.”

Boyle’s linemate, Dominic Moore, won his third Game 7 in Pittsburgh since 2010 – all with different clubs.

He assisted on Boyle’s first-period goal Tuesday night and scored once and logged a plus-2 rating in Montreal’s 5-2 win in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinal – the final game played at Mellon Arena. He also earned the primary assist on the game-winner by Sean Bergenheim in Tampa Bay’s 1-0 victory in the 2011 conference quarterfinals – the first Game 7 at Consol Energy Center.

With the Rangers facing either the Bruins or the Canadiens in the conference final, the opponent is guaranteed to have special meaning for coach Alain Vigneault.

Vigneault coached the Canadiens from 1997-2000, taking on that job at age 36. And his Canucks lost to the Bruins in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final in Vancouver.

“I started with the Habs so having an opportunity against them would be huge,” Vigneault said. “Having an opportunity to play against Boston, who beat my former team in seven would also be huge. So we’ll take whoever’s there.”

A limited number of tickets for the conference final will go on sale via Ticketmaster today at noon with a limit of four per purchase. There is a pre-sale for Chase card holders at 10 a.m.

As a result of the victory, the Rangers now owe the Lightning two first-round picks for St. Louis. As a result of reaching the conference final, a conditional second-round pick this year becomes a first-round pick to go with a 2015 first-rounder.

The Rangers still have not won a playoff series in fewer than seven games since the first round of the 2008 playoffs.

The Rangers will take a well-deserved day off on Wednesday.

Lastly, from the Rangers:

- New York won a playoff series against Pittsburgh for the first time in franchise history. The series was the fifth time the Rangers and Penguins have faced off against each other in the playoffs.

- The Rangers are advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in the last three seasons. Since the NHL expanded to a four-round playoff format in the 1974-75 season, this is the second time that the Blueshirts have reached the third round of the playoffs twice in a three-season span (1979-1981; advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1979 and the Semifinals in 1981).

- The Rangers are the first team to win two Game 7s on the road in a four-series span since Montreal won Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the 2010 Playoffs.

- The Blueshirts posted a 3-1 record on the road in the series, and won consecutive road games in the playoffs for the first time since Game 1 and Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against Washington in 2009. The last time the Rangers won three road games in one playoff series was the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in 2008 against New Jersey.

- The Rangers are 7-2 when tallying the game’s first goal in the playoffs.

- The Blueshirts are 6-0 in the playoffs when leading after two periods.

- New York was 1-for-1 (0:50) on the penalty kill in the game. The Rangers’ penalty kill is 21-for-22 (95.5%) over the last eight games and was 19-for-20 (95%) in the series.

- Brad Richards registered the game-winning goal with a power play tally and recorded two shots on goal in 15:10 of ice time. The Rangers alternate captain has tallied two power play points (one goal, one assist) in the last three contests, and leads the team with two power play goals and four power play points in the playoffs. Richards’ game-winning goal was the ninth of his career in the playoffs, and his first in a Game 7. Richards is tied for ninth among active NHL players, along with Martin St. Louis and Evgeni Malkin, in game-winning goals in the playoffs. The Rangers forward is tied for the team lead in goals (four) and assists (five), and leads the team in points (nine) in the playoffs.

- Brian Boyle tallied the first goal of the contest, led the team with five hits, tied for the game-high with four blocked shots, and won four of six faceoffs (67%) in 15:15 of ice time. The Rangers forward has recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in his last eight playoff games on the road. Boyle is tied for the team lead in hits (46) and leads all forwards on the team in blocked shots (20) in the playoffs.

- Martin St. Louis registered an assist, recorded two shots on goal, was credited with two hits, and blocked two shots in 16:11 of ice time. The Rangers forward has recorded a point in consecutive games (one goal, one assist). St. Louis is tied for the team lead in assists (five) and is tied for second on the team in points (eight) in the playoffs.

- Derek Stepan recorded an assist in 17:13 of ice time. The Rangers forward has tallied a point in consecutive games (two assists over the span), and ranks seventh on the team in points (six) in the playoffs.

- Dominic Moore recorded an assist, recorded two shots on goal, and won eight of 16 faceoffs (50%) in 12:32 of ice time. Moore has tallied four points (two goals, two assists) in six career Game 7s, including three points (one goal, two assists) in three career Game 7s against the Penguins. The Rangers forward leads the team in faceoff win percentage (53.1%; 77-for-145) in the playoffs.

- Derek Dorsett registered an assist and posted a plus-one rating in 9:08 of ice time. The Rangers forward has tallied two points (two assists) in three career Game 7s.

Posted by Andrew Gross on 05/14 at 05:35 AM

That’s 3 teams in one year that have blow up in Bylsma’s face at the first sign if adversity. The Pens last year, team USA, and then the Pens again.

His teams hitca small bump…and BOOM…they embarrass themselves and implode.

I love the fact that the NYR just threw that whole organization into disarray!

LET’S GO RANGERS!!

Posted by chrisqct on 05/14 at 02:04 PM

God I love/hate reading the commentary on sites like TSN, the HFboards, Yahoo!, etc. The whining, the excuses, the general lack of hockey/human knowledge. It’s just amazing.

“If it wasn’t for Lundqvist, Pens would’ve won.” So what you’re saying is the Rangers beat the Pens?
“If Crosby showed up, Pens would’ve won.” So what you’re saying is the Rangers beat the Pens?
“Rangers are cheap-shot artists, if the refs weren’t on the Rangers side, Pens would’ve won.” So what you’re saying is the Rangers beat the Pens?
“Bylsma never should’ve come back to coach this year. If we hired Lindy Ruff or someone else, Rangers wouldn’t have stood a chance.” So what you’re saying…is that the Rangers beat the Pens?

Gotta love it. And be forever frustrated with it.

Posted by DaveB on 05/14 at 02:29 PM

Nobody has mentioned this, but I worder how Dom Moore is handeling the Marty grief? It sure opens wounds that have bearly healed. And he truly has great empathy for what Marty is going through. Maybe it was fitting that both he and Marty got the primary assists on the two goals last night.

Posted by rangerbill94 on 05/14 at 03:00 PM

Just a great feeling all around. A top moment for me as a fan that hasn’t be there in 20 years.

Boyle was huge this series
Dom Moore
Hank
The defense finding their game
Richy with an enormous goal set up by st Louis
Hank world class

So much to revel in my head could explode trying to list it

Glad my optimism heading into the playoffs is comin to fruition

Posted by Craig on 05/14 at 03:36 PM

Posted by DaveB on 05/14 at 09:29 AM

The ref one is pretty laughable—- and again, that’s one of those “things” I think Torts instilled in this club, we tend to be pretty disciplined when it comes to taking penalties.

Maybe those “fans” can explain concealing the puck penalties.

Posted by CJ on 05/14 at 03:56 PM

Posted by rangerbill94 on 05/14 at 10:00 AM

Ah, good point!

Posted by DaveB on 05/14 at 09:29 AM

Did anyone keep a running tab on who won the posts hit game through the series, because if we had lost the post competition the series wouldn’t have been so close. It would have been “If it wasn’t for the post, Pens would have lost the series in 5/6 games.

Posted by CJ on 05/14 at 04:00 PM

RB. You know, I was thinking the same thing regarding Dom Moore and the loss of his wife last year. IMO, added to the St. Louis loss it too becomes part of the “storyline” of what is becoming a pretty intense motivation tool for this Ranger team. Everyone is forgetting what Dom went through and there probably is a certain drive within him as he goes through his own grieving process. Also, lets not forget that he is a finalist for the Masterton Trophy.

Whatever is going on in that room, this team really came together to string along three pretty impressive wins against a very formidable opponent. Down 3-1, the dirt was already thrown on these guys. Amazing comeback, and hopefully it continues.

Rest up boys, you deserve it. Your half way there. Some bigger challenges ahead. I am sure you have raised some eyebrows, certainly mine.

Posted by pif on 05/14 at 04:28 PM

I’m not a Tortorella apologist but I think some credit needs to go toward him regarding how we play in low scoring, tight games. He insisted on blocking shots, giving yourself up for the team and the win. We saw that last night. They bent but never broke. No matter what was going on around them, they kept their focus, their calm…especially Hank.

Great gane to build on. The work ethic is there or should I say theirs!

Posted by rangerbill94 on 05/14 at 04:45 PM

Posted by rangerbill94 on 05/14 at 10:00 AM

Posted by pif on 05/14 at 11:28 AM

tv showed them with a good embrace on the ice.
d moore and st louis

Posted by rangerbill94 on 05/14 at 11:45 AM

1st of all at this point in season every team blocks shots. 2nd of all with torts here the season is long over and guys like zucc and kreider would never have flourished

thank God torts is gone. this team is so much more enjoyable without him and his bullying ways. those of us who wanted him gone were proven right

Posted by JJ on 05/14 at 06:05 PM

Boy oh boy… Callahan screwed the pooch on that one. hahaha…

LGR!

Posted by Mike on 05/14 at 06:15 PM

JJ and RB94, good chance that you are both right. AV has done a nice job with the team and allowing players to do well. But also, JT positively influenced many of the players. I am thinking more in terms of battle-level and preparedness. Also, the experience of playing in the conference finals two years ago also is pretty big for these guys right now.

Great points on D. Moore. His life experience may be playing into this as well. There is just something so honest about the way he plays the game that I love having him here. I wish we never lost him years ago. Its great, as a fan, that he is back and contributing deep (yes, now I can say deep) in the playoffs. Its gotta be a real special feeling being a part of this team with this cast of characters, right now.

Posted by Thewaitingisover! on 05/14 at 06:37 PM

This is incredibly breaking news from Pittsburgh media…

“Ownership favored firing Bylsma as of Wednesday, the sources said.
Ownership believed Bylsma lost the dressing room this season, specifically the support of franchise centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the sources said.
Players were unhappy with Bylsma’s numerous meetings and long practices and the decreasing sense of fun within the Penguins’ daily environment, the sources said.
Crosby and Malkin also grew disenchanted with perceived harsh criticism they received from Bylsma during meetings, the sources said.
Also, the sources said, ownership was concerned about the Crosby’s body language during the playoffs.
”

Posted by kogan on 05/14 at 07:28 PM

See guys!?!??! The Rangers did NOT go out and play well and win. It was CROSBY who was unhappy with the COACH! Pittsburgh LOST. THAT’s the story!

Posted by DaveB on 05/14 at 07:53 PM

congrats to rangers on a huge comeback and win in game 7! came together as a team and henrik was a monster! would not let the rangers lose!

i was doubting but now i believe, in this team and in the coaching staff.

CJ - No running tab on posts, but I can’t remember hitting so much iron before. Pouliot would be leading the postseason in goals if half of his post-hits went in!

Now…imagine if the Nash line gets going…

Clean slate for a lot of our issues. Nash has a fresh series to get on the board. Our powerplay (which came on in the end) can start fresh. McDonagh can finally get the rest he needs and be a monster.

Posted by DaveB on 05/14 at 08:41 PM

Posted by DaveB on 05/14 at 03:41 PM

Nash and Step hit their share as well. It was a team effort to hit the post. lol

Yeah, it’s all about Crosby ... there you go, harsh criticism of Crosby? Um yeah, he doesn’t play a two way game, he let’s himself get distracted, etc. Crosby thinks he “too big” for any criticism—- and he already “knows it all”. I’m not a big Blysma fan, but you can’t lay it all there—- he was seriously outcoached though by AV.

Posted by JJ on 05/14 at 01:05 PM

Do you know how biased you sound? You can’t give him a tiny bit of credit for molding a certain mental toughness in a lot of these guys, or a true commitment to win whatever it takes? These things were existent well before AV came along (thanks to JT)—- and as good a job as AV has done, he stands on the shoulders of the one who came before him. Which isn’t too too high given Torts’ stature. Nonetheless, you can at least acknowledge that Torts wasn’t all bad.

Oh yeah, how about crediting Sather just a wee bit? After all, he brought AV, Dom Moore, Pouliot, Carcillo and StL into the fold this summer—- and kept Richards to the dismay of many people

Posted by CJ on 05/14 at 09:32 PM

With a new series upon them, the NYR need to turn the page on the Flyers & Penguins series but not lose that emotion and passion that was instilled after game four.

The 0-37 PP streak, the insane schedule, and even individual players not living up to their expectations are all behind them. They won as a team. Team members pick each other up, and that’s what happened here.

Maybe it’s Nash’s turn or Stepan’s turn this next series. Maybe the PP becomes a weapon and not an issue. Who knows? There is always room for improvement and taking it to the next level. It doesn’t get easier the further you get along, but you gotta like what we saw from this TEAM. They seem to have each others back right now and it is leading to very good results.

Posted by pif on 05/14 at 09:32 PM

Just read that, regardless of other series outcomes, ECFs will start on Saturday. Rest up!

Posted by DaveB on 05/14 at 09:39 PM

PP was ok the last 2 games and Stepan-Nash were “productive” during most of the Flyer series ... so yeah, things can always turn around when there’s a precedent for success—- meaning, we had a good PP during the regular season, Nash scored during the regular season and Stepan was hot in the last half of the year. Yeah, playoffs are different ... but if you’ve done it in the past, you can do it again.

Just thinking that if Crosby had played as defensively well as Nash did throughout the whole series, we’re probably NOT winning. When things “dry up”, you need to find other ways to be part of the solution. Crosby was not part of the solution.

LGR

Posted by CJ on 05/14 at 10:52 PM

Those stats that Lundqvist has in game sevens and elimination games are just remarkable. I’d like to see the comparable stats for “Marty’s Better.” (And I’ll pre-empt the trolls by acknowledging that the latter has won three Cups with great defensive teams in front of him. But still.)

But as great as he was, I think the defense corps has to get tons of credit. I can’t imagine that any team’s top 4 D could be better. Stralman has become a monster…..making himself a very rich man, unfortunately with another team from what we read. No coincidence that the series turned around when McD turned him game around. The 5-6 pair ain’t so bad either. Anyone missing Del Zotto? :-D Watching Moore play, you realize just how desperate AV was to try and spark the power play that he put Diaz in there!

Not hearing the talk about them having had to play two seven game series that we did two years ago. Obviously, they finished this series strongly, and the team shouldn’t be burnt out from being pushed to the limit all season long. And now three days to rev up for the next series, seems a perfect amount, not too short, not too long. Let’s go you Ranger boys!!!!!

Posted by alan on 05/15 at 12:09 AM

Posted by CJ on 05/14 at 04:32 PM

give credit to torts. i did for getting rid of ol 16. but the 2 of them are very similar. so i give sather the same credit for getting rid of torts

torts almost ruined zucc and kreider among others

we would not be still playing if torts was coach.

i disagree with you completely on torts

re sather. how many times can i say it - my issue with him is the drafts. and just because we had a very few drafted players contributing does not change that fact

Posted by JJ on 05/15 at 12:24 AM

5 series wins in the last 3 years ... and counting. We are clearly one of the 8 best teams in the league, could argue better. That’s on Sather ... you can’t cherry pick JJ even though that’s your STYLE, you’re just a cherry picker.

Posted by CJ on 05/15 at 01:31 AM

Posted by CJ on 05/14 at 08:31 PM

you’re the cherry picker. the man is here 14 yrs. the whole record is up for debate

and you’re one of the ones with the biggest home groan bias. and probably boils your blood that richards, pouliot, stralman are doing well

whats the matter you forgot to give torts credit in your last post

despite your bs as usual i’m still psyched on the win. so put that in your pipe and smoke it

About

ANDREW GROSS covers the New York Rangers for The Record and Herald News, having joined the North Jersey Media Group in November 2007. Gross also covered the Rangers and New York Jets, as well as St. John’s basketball and Army football, for Gannett Newspapers and The Journal News (N.Y.). He graduated from Syracuse University in 1989 with a degree in newspaper journalism.